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Prost! This Oktoberfest, Take Your Beer to Go Along the Fünf Seidla Steig

Germany's brewery trail is a creative (and outdoorsy) way to celebrate Oktoberfest.

Why sit around all day in a biergarten guzzling Hefeweizen this Oktoberfest (although, that’s a pretty good way to spend your time), when you can down your pints while hiking the Fünf Seidla Steig. This “Bierwanderweg” (beer hike) combines two of Germany’s passions–hiking and beer–in a trail connecting five small breweries with biergartens. You’ll get a chance to hike through the beautiful Franconian Schweiz countryside while sampling beers from some quite literally “off the beaten path” local breweries.

PHOTO: 1. Andreas Zerndl/Shutterstock

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Fünf Seidla Steig: Exploring Germany Through a Bierwanderweg!

WHERE:
Near Nuremberg, Germany

The Fünf Seidla Steig–or Five Seidla Climb–is a popular “beer hike” in Germany and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

The trail connects five small breweries around Franconian Schweiz–an area near Nuremberg. The trail is 10 kilometers one-way or 20 kilometers roundtrip.

If that seems like a lot–don’t worry! The stops to sample beer at each brewery will break up that trek and, if you’ve worked up an appetite, you can also take a little extra time to sample their traditional German food.

INSIDER TIPIf you have a group, you can hire a tour guide to take you through the trail and recommend tastings.

How to Get to the Start of the Trail From Nuremberg

WHERE:
(Directions on public transport)

The hike is a great day trip from Nuremberg. Starting from the Nuremberg Nordostbahnhof, you’ll need to take the R21 regional train to Weissenohe to begin the hike. The trains leave hourly on the weekends but more often during the week. It takes about 50 minutes to get to Weissenohe from Nuremberg. When you arrive in Weissenohe, look for the “Frankenweg” signs leading the way to the first brewery, which is just 300 meters from the train station.

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PHOTO: www.das-wirtshaus-klosterbrauerei-weissenohe.de

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Begin With a Beer at Klosterbrauerei

WHERE:
Weissenohe, Germany

The trail officially kicks off at the biergarten in the first brewery: Klosterbrauerei. Along with your first beer,make sure you grab a “Stempelkarte” or “stamp card” here and don’t forget to get a stamp at each biergarten you visit! You’ll need to get it stamped at all five breweries in order to purchase one of the commemorative Seidlas at the end of the trail.

PHOTO: Brauerei Friedmann | Facebook

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Take in the View at Brauerei Friedmann

WHERE:
Gräfenberg, Germany

After you finish your first beer, follow the “Frankenweg” signs up the hill and through the beautiful countryside. You’ll cross a busy road and then continue following the signs up one more hill. The second brewery, Brauerei Friedmann, is at the top and its two-level biergarten hosts a great view of the valley below.

PHOTO: Lindenbräu Brauerei | Facebook

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Brewery Three: Visit Lindenbräu in the Town of Gräfenberg

WHERE:
Gräfenberg, Germany

Just down the hill, in the middle of town you’ll find the Brauerei Lindenbräu which hosts a brewery that makes six types of beer and a biergarten. They also have six guest rooms if you want to stay in the area for the evening.

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PHOTO: Brauerei Hofmann | Facebook

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Savor a Summer Day in Brauerei Hofmann’s Biergarten Gräfenberg, Germany

WHERE:
Gräfenberg, Germany

From Lindenbräu, follow the signs and other trekkers to get back to the trail. This is a part of the path that gets tricky, so you may want to download the directions from the trail’s website to take with you just in case.

You’ll likely hear a lot of fellow trekkers greeting you with the traditional Bavarian salutation “Servus” as you make your way out to Brauerei Hofmann. Founded in 1897, it has been run by the same family for five generations!

PHOTO: Elch-Brau |Facebook

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Final Stop: Food, Bier, and Whiskey at Elch-Bräu

WHERE:
Gräfenberg, Germany

Finish the trail at the lovely biergarten at Elch-Bräu, which has a great selection of food as well as beer and whiskey!

From here, you can reverse course and make your way back to the Gräfenberg train station on foot. But, if you’re tired, don’t worry! Just outside the biergarten, you can catch the shuttle bus back to Gräfenberg to catch the train.

PHOTO: Funf Seidla Steig

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Your Reward: The Seidla

After you’ve had five beers at five breweries and collected their respective stamps, show the brewery your “Stemplekarte” and you can purchase a commemorative stein for your trip. These run around 10-15 euros depending on whether you want a manufactured or handcrafted stein. The breweries also have other souvenirs, like “Frankenweg” signs, for purchase as well.

PHOTO: Hunter Bliss / Shutterstock

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Rules and Tips for the Trail

This isn’t Oktoberfest–this is a place to enjoy great scenery and off the beaten path breweries. So there are some rules for the trail.

No bachelor parties, masks, or costumes (though traditional dress like Lederhosen and Dirndls are ok).

No loud electronic music or singing that would disturb the neighbors.

The biergartens reserve the right to refuse service to those who appear to be over-served or are harassing other guests.

And, of course, they ask you to be considerate by picking up your trash!

INSIDER TIPIf you’re traveling with a large group, make sure you make reservations at the breweries to make sure there’s room for everyone to sit. If you’re going during the week, check the hours of operation for each biergarten. The trail gets really busy on nice days so plan ahead! Also, you may want to bring along water and sunscreen!

PHOTO: Tom Berner

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Bonus Biergarten!

WHERE:
Gräfenberg Train Station

The Gräfenberg Zone biergarten is not officially part of the Fünf Seidla Steig–but it’s still a well-known last stop for those trekking the trail due to its location just outside the Gräfenberg station.

A vegan biergarten, it’s also known for its provocative souvenir t-shirts and mugs. You’ll find a lot of people grab a final “wegbier” (to go beer) here before catching the train back to Nuremberg.